In communication transmission interfaces using dynamic resource sharing, it is common for a resource management entity to schedule resource usage among one or more end-users at each of a sequence of scheduling intervals. The resource being shared may be, for example, time, codes, frequency, antennae to name a few, or combinations thereof (multiple dimensional resource). To allocate a multiple dimensional resource, the allocation of resources for each dimension is indicated.
In situations where the resource space is large, for example, broadband systems including multiple antennas wherein a relatively small resource granularity is to be accommodated, the assignment of resources is known to incur significant overhead. Exemplary such multiple-antenna systems are known as Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems.
In addition to dividing data to be transmitted among frequencies, data may also be divided in time in a scheme called Time Division Multiplexing. Organizing data in frequency and time can be facilitated through the definition of a transmission unit, i.e., a frame.
As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, wireless broadband access systems using OFDM may be used to enable high speed data services. In particular, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) based broadband access air interfaces are known to allocate a two-dimensional resource (subchannel and OFDM symbol) in each frame in order to optimize frequency-time domain diversity. In addition, a sufficiently small resource granularity for accommodating small amounts of traffic per frame is employed, to support voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) data, for example. Unfortunately, such OFDMA-based systems are known to incur significant resource allocation signaling overhead. That is, often a significant amount of resource allocation signaling bits are required to indicate, to the receiver of a frame, the location in the frame at which data relevant to the receiver may be found.
A need exists, therefore, for an improved method for allocating communication resources.